The invention relates to a plug mount for a detachable fastening of an equipment part, such as a panel or an interior trim part to a sub-frame, such as an airplane fuselage, comprising a mounting pin, having at one end a groove for fastening a mounting pin and at the other end an elastic, washer shaped damper for damping oscillations and for assembling the mounting pin, which is arranged on the mounting pin between a mounting washer and an axially displaceable glide washer, and having a housing in which a spring pre-stressed slide is supported, which can be displaced by inserting the mounting pin into an opening of the housing against the spring pretension and subsequently it can latch in the groove of the mounting pin due to the spring pretension, with either the damper or the housing being assembled to the equipment part and the other one of the damper or housing being assembled to the sub-frame.
Such a plug mount forms the subject of a former, not preliminarily published German application No. 10 2007 061 926.1 (in the following called the earlier application) of the applicant.
In the cabin development of modern airplane types, such as Airbus A350, for example, it is attempted to design elements to be mounted to the airplane fuselage, such as toilets, board kitchens, passenger seats, cabin networks, cabin lighting, and air jets, as respectively complete cabin modules, with all connections being embodied as flexible standardized interfaces, if possible, and using simplified fastening concepts, allowing assembly and disassembly without the use of any tools (cf. the essay “Cabin customization—New approach for A350”, magazine One, German issue, Dec. 18, 2006, page 23.) Additionally it shall be possible to reconfigure an existing design solution on short notice, for example the cabin equipment for a long-distance flight, and prepare the cabin equipment for a short-distance flight. The standardized interfaces shall here be applicable equally for all aircraft categories. Additionally, it shall be ensured that the standardized interfaces securely prevent any rattling noise of the components connected to each other.
The subject of the earlier application comprises a plug, a fastener, and a plug fastener being a combination of such a plug and fastener, known for example from the utility patent DE 299 20 497 U1, which are to be improved such that at least one of the above-mentioned problems can be solved. The connection achieved with the plug fastener according to the earlier application can be implemented and released in a simple fashion, because a precise mutual alignment of the two components to be connected is not necessary during the assembly. Furthermore, tools are not necessary, either for the assembly or for disassembly, because the creation of the connection occurs by a simple insertion according to the principle “plug and play” or “snap and click.” The release of the connection can occur, for example, via an eccentric lever pressing against the spring pre-stressed slide or simply by a finger pushing against a particular handle, in order to push the slide against the spring pre-tension to such an extent that the fastening pin is released.
When in an airplane a panel, which may carry parts of the electric system, is rotated down from the ceiling or an inner panel in the manner of a flap, the cables connected together with the other equipment parts on the panel have to follow the path of the panel. In order for the cables to not hinder the movement of the panel the cables connected to the panel must comprise a certain excessive length. In an airplane in which the length of the installed cables amounts to many kilometers the above-mentioned excessive length of cables leads to an undesired additional weight, which might amount to several hundred kilograms. When a panel is to be released from the ceiling or the inner cover panel it is additionally necessary to separate electric plug connections, which later require manual reconnection during the reassembly of the panel. The plug connection according to the former application is embodied as a flexible standardized interface, however the assembly and disassembly of a panel or the like is enabled without the use of any tools, yet, it is not embodied such that it avoids excess cable lengths and the problems connected thereto.